Healing Process of Rat Skin Wounds Treated With Vitamin C and Low-Intensity Laser Therapy.

Luis Flavio Duraes Gomes Oliva,Doroty Mesquita Dourado

doi:10.7759/cureus.11933

Abstract

Introduction: This study evaluated, from a histological point of view, the process of repairing skin wounds caused in the dorsal region of rats when subjected to treatment with vitamin C, low-intensity laser, and association of both.Methods: Forty-eight adult male rats (Rattus norvegicus, albinus, Wistar), weighing between 250 and 300 g were used in this study. The rats were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (IP) and a circular area of skin of approximately 8 mm in diameter was removed from the dorsal region of their back by a punch. The animals were randomly divided into four groups of 12 individuals: Group I, control group, was treated with saline solution; Group II was treated with topical application of vitamin C; Group III was treated with low-intensity laser; and Group IV was treated with both low-intensity laser and topical application of vitamin C. Samples were histologically analyzed through optical microscopy with hematoxylin and eosin staining and collagen I and III concentrations were quantified using the picrosirius-hematoxylin histochemical method and further submitted to statistical analysis.Results: Whilst the control and vitamin C groups admittedly showed slight epithelial proliferation at the wound edges, the group irradiated with low-intensity laser and the group treated with both laser and vitamin C had already partially formed epidermis, with a more organized underlying connective tissue and less evident inflammatory process. The group treated with laser alone obtained a higher concentration of type I collagen fibers and the group with the highest amount of type III collagen fibers was the one treated with the association of vitamin C and laser.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that in spite of all treatments being effective in the repair of skin wounds compared to the control group, the isolated use of low-intensity therapy laser and its combined use with topical vitamin C showed the most favorable results, indicating that those could be further used for the treatment of skin wounds.

Highlights

This study evaluated, from a histological point of view, the process of repairing skin wounds caused in the dorsal region of rats when subjected to treatment with vitamin C, low-intensity laser, and association of both
Wound healing occurs through the contraction of the wound that is provided by the presence of myofibroblasts, a specialized form of fibroblast with contractile capacity [4], which have the secretory function of elastin and collagen
The present study aimed at verifying the effect of low-intensity laser therapy combined with vitamin C on the rate of wound healing, as both consist of therapeutic modalities that have been used in the healing process of wounds

Summary

Introduction

This study evaluated, from a histological point of view, the process of repairing skin wounds caused in the dorsal region of rats when subjected to treatment with vitamin C, low-intensity laser, and association of both. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is directly linked to skin healing due to its important role in the formation of collagen [1]. It has extremely important biological and metabolic functions, with regard to its role in the biosynthesis of connective tissue, participating as a cofactor in the hydroxylation of proline and lysine, an essential reaction for collagen maturation and consequent resistance of wounds to tension [2]. Low-intensity laser therapy has been used in the treatment of wounds by accelerating the healing process and increasing cellular metabolism [11] as well as modulating both local and systemic immune responses [12]. The laser stimulation of fibroblasts during healing occurs through the maintenance of mitotic activity in the late period of healing [20], in which it has been demonstrated that low-intensity laser preferentially stimulates quiescent cells in detriment of those in activity [12]

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